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Welcome To Snow Hollow
Werewolf films have a long and impressive history and have served as staples of the horror genre alongside other iconic monster films. The concept of cursed men who transform into vicious beasts at the light of the moon sits snuggly in the sensibilities of most, and there are so many classics to reminisce over. From my personal favorite, Dog Soldiers, to more commercially accessible offerings such as the Underworld and Twilight films, these creatures have served as a horror go-to for generations.
With that said, this particular review may be quite late, all things considered, but it is a film that I came across towards the close of 2020. I searched far and wide for the right film to close off what was otherwise one of the most challenging years of all our lives, and my search would lead me to a curious-looking offering titled The Wolf of Snow Hollow. The possibility of a werewolf film that would take advantage of new technology and techniques was too good to pass up, and so I dove right in with bated breath.
It Was A Dark and Chilly Night
The dark comedy began in typical monster movie fashion, as two lovebirds selected a cozy little cabin nestled within a sleepy town to engage in activities of the adult persuasion. The alone time would be cut dramatically short after the male lover in the equation would find the mangled remains of his female counterpart outside in the cold, her blood staining the white snow along with a bloody wolf paw in the outside winter canvas remaining as one of the only clues to her mystery assailant.
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The grisly crime scene would surprise and intimidate even local law enforcement who believed that the investigation of a murder was a little above their pay grade. The sentiment would be shared by most, all save an ill-tempered second in command police officer named John Marshall, a man whose existent battles would be further compounded by the growing anxiety of a town whose populace would is placed under threat by a psychopath killer, or possibly something worse. John, however, would not be swayed by crazy theories of killer wolves or any other bizarre explanations used to make sense of the slew of evidence pointing towards a wild beast of sorts, but would rather stick to his belief that the task at hand would be catching a very human killer.
Aside from the busy funeral schedule courtesy of the mystery murderer and a heap load of investigative work on the part of the police, John would also have to deal with his family problems, including a stubborn father refusing to quit the force, a failed marriage which required greater efforts on his part to forge a relationship with his only daughter, and an alcohol addiction needing to constantly be kept in check. All of these would result in a highly-strung protagonist trying to keep both his town and home affairs from spiraling into chaos.
The film progresses in such a way as to give plausibility to both a rational explanation to the murders as well as something more supernatural. The wolfman in question seeming to target women, often leaving with very specific souvenirs. As such, there’s an excitement with the possibility of a werewolf with the mind of Jack The Ripper, but the possibility in and of itself seems to also give greater probability to John’s firmly held intuitions.
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The film proceeds at a good pace, dividing its time between John's frustrating yet tenacious police work and desire to bring a halt to the killings, and the horrific demise of many of the town's locals at the hands of this supposed wolf creature. Like any film similar in nature, the beast is kept obscured, its actions pieced together from the gory aftermath left in its wake. The herculean task for John and his team to bring an end to the deaths adds further pressure to a life already full of AA commitments and parental duties.
The production felt good in TWOSH, the editing creating a dark divide that did well to capture John's attempts at trying to preserve his sanity while dealing with the insane events that grip the town in a collective paranoia. There was also the impressive use of certain camera angles that felt very deliberate in certain instances, John's AA meetings for example, seeming to focus solely on him, the other members and their struggles seeming to be irrelevant and unimportant as if the problems of the town belonged to John and him alone. The use of wide-angle shots and other obscuring techniques also did well to not give too much away with regards to the appearance of our mystery monster, for scary movie 101 would religiously preach the importance of terrifying suggestion over full-blown reveals.
The Monster Within
When all was said and done and the credits began to roll, I asked myself if my expectations had been met and if I had indeed just witnessed a good werewolf film that managed to improve on what had been done for so long. My answer was in the negative on both counts, and if I'm being perfectly honest, The Wolf of Snow Hollow is really not that good a werewolf film at all, and yet I none the less feel on shaky ground making that very claim. For while it may not have blown me away in the way that I hoped it would, it enthralled and entertained in a way that was unique and worthy of further analysis.
First, a standing ovation should be given to Jim Cummings in his role as John Marshall and his wonderfully relatable and hilarious responses to the challenges of his life. What I found interesting about TWOSH was the almost subtle struggle between two universes, the mythological on the one hand, and the real on the other.
The average monster films often operate in the former category, which is to say that skeptics are soon turned into believers once they come face to face with the monsters that torment them, but with this particular film, John refuses to get pulled into a world that he knows doesn't exist, despite the theories, evidence, and desires of both his contemporaries and even those of us watching.
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No, John and the creators of the film stand for the truth that monsters are superfluous in a world where humans are capable of far worse, and the message is as timeless as the concept of the werewolf itself, and that is that we all have an inner monster within us, and our own moons to bay at, moons whos enchanting light force us to do things we never thought we would. For John, alcohol appears to be one of the triggers that caused close to irreparable damage between him and the one's he loves, his relationship with his daughter fragmenting more and more as time goes on.
The Wolf of Snow Hollow is as much a scary werewolf film as What We Do In the Shadows was a scary vampire film. This film started with sufficient intrigue but soon edged closer to the side of comedy with elements of a dark mystery strategically sprinkled in between. It's more mature Scooby Doo than it is An American Werewolf in London, I'm afraid. However, even this description holds a potential that I fear would not be realized, for John's stand-alone performance felt good enough to warrant an ongoing series that could best be described as Reno 911 meets The X-Files.
By no means can TWOSH stand with some of the greats, but its gorgeous cinematography,editing, smooth transitions, and writing deserve their day in the sun, or in this case, the moon. My hopes of a modern and terrifying werewolf film would not materialize, but the film still has an appeal that's difficult to put into words. Its a film that minds its Ps and Qs well and provides very decent and casual entertainment at its finest. Give this one a watch for John's sake, he could certainly do with more people in his corner. Lets hear it, HOORAH!
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